Permitting Authorities / City of Durango - Building Division
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Durango, CO?
Adopted code
City of Durango - Building Division
Yes — a permit is required to replace a roof in Durango, CO, issued by City of Durango - Building Division. A roofing project of less than 25% of total roof replacement does not require a building permit and inspections; larger roof replacements do. Roofing work in the East Third Avenue Historic District requires an Alterations Certificate even under that threshold. Construction performed without proper permits is charged triple the building permit fee. New roofing permit pricing took effect April 1, 2026.
Jurisdiction
City of Durango, Colorado
Contact
- url: https://www.durangoco.gov/214/Building
- phone: 970-375-5000
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- license: Contractors must have a valid City of Durango Business License. There is no separate city trade license for roofing; plumbers must additionally hold a state plumbing contractor's license along with the city business license.
Permit process note
A roofing project of less than 25% of total roof replacement does not require a building permit and inspections; larger roof replacements do. Roofing work in the East Third Avenue Historic District requires an Alterations Certificate even under that threshold. Construction performed without proper permits is charged triple the building permit fee. New roofing permit pricing took effect April 1, 2026.
Inspection requirements
All inspection requests must be made through the city's OpenGov portal. The Building Division inspects building and roofing projects, and as of July 1, 2026 also permits and inspects all plumbing and gas installations. Electrical inspections remain with the State of Colorado.
Adopted code
The City of Durango has adopted the 2024 International Codes (I-Codes) effective January 1, 2026, along with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (effective January 1, 2026) and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (effective April 1, 2026).
Drip edge
Required — Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140) and its § 6-144 amendment list does not delete or modify Section R905.2.8.5, so the base IRC drip-edge requirement stands as adopted code.
About drip edgeIce & water shield
Required — Durango's amended IRC Table R301.2 (§ 6-144) lists "Ice barrier underlayment required: YES" in its own unambiguous single-column cell.
About ice & water barrierImpact-resistant roofing
Not required — No City of Durango amendment mandates Class 4 / UL 2218 impact-resistant roof coverings. The full § 6-144 amendment list to the 2024 IRC (R101, R103, R105, R113, R301.2, R302.13, R309, R318.7.5.1, Chapter 11, P2503, P2603, P3009, Part VIII Electrical, Appendix BE) was read start to finish and contains no such addition.
Wind design criteria
Durango's amended IRC Table R301.2 (City of Durango Code of Ordinances § 6-144, Ord. No. O-2025-0051) prints, as coded: Ground snow load 40-60; under the "Wind design" column group -- Speed (mph): 104 ult, Topographic effects: YES, Special wind region: NO, and the group's fourth (Weathering-labeled) column: NO; Seismic design category: B; under the "Subject to damage from" column group -- its first (Windborne debris-zone-labeled) column: SEVERE, Frost Line Depth: 32, Termite: NO. Quoted exactly as the printed table's own column groupings and cell values appear in the source, including the apparent label/value placement within the two multi-column groups.
Roof layer limit / recover
Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140, Ord. No. O-2025-0051) and its § 6-144 amendment list, read start to finish, does not touch Section R907 (Reroofing) or R908 (Roof Replacement), so the base 2024 IRC roof-recover/layer-limit provisions govern as adopted; the section text is behind the ICC paywall and not restated here. Base-code rule, read at 2024 IRC Section R908.4 (Roof recover), Exceptions and quoted here rather than left behind the ICC paywall: a roof recover "shall not be permitted" where "the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering" (nor where the existing covering is water soaked or deteriorated, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile). One existing layer may therefore be recovered; a second existing layer forces tear-off to the deck.
Sales & use tax
9.4% combined (state 2.9% + La Plata County 3% + City of Durango 3.5%). Home-rule, self-collected — the City's own page states "As a home rule municipality, the City of Durango collects its own sales tax per our Municipal Code." The City's 3.5% use tax applies at the same rate as sales tax, city-self-administered ("payable by the 'user' of the product when City of Durango sales tax has not been collected"). No permit-issuance use-tax-deposit mechanism (the pattern seen in Denver, Loveland, and several Front Range peers) was described on the City's own tax page.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby — La Plata County
Related guides
The building permit authority for the City of Durango, Colorado. The Building Division requires permits for all commercial and residential roofing replacements, handles permitting and inspections through the OpenGov online portal, requires contractors to hold a City of Durango Business License, and has adopted the 2024 International Codes effective January 1, 2026.
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